The Great Sunflower Project

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Win this 5×7 Sunflower Print and a Packet of Sunflower seeds to grow in your garden this spring! Details at the end of the post.

Last night I sat on the floor with the 2015 seed catalogs spread out like a semi-gloss floral carpet. When choosing seeds, I’m a practical person. Vegetables and herbs are first and foremost. They win out over flowers when it comes to space in the garden and in the budget for seed purchases. But there is one flower that I always factor in. That being, the Lemon Queen Sunflower.

Sunflowers are quintessential to the farmyard landscape. They’re cheerful old souls with human like qualities and a bonny disposition. I can’t imagine our garden without them. But besides being beautiful to look at, sunflowers are a beneficial plant that helps pollinators of all kinds.

The Great Sunflower Project is an organization that collects data from people like you me from around the country. They use this data to learn where bee populations are growing and where they are declining. This helps determine where conservation action is required. All you need to participate is a plant that attracts pollinators (like Lemon Queen Sunflower), a bit of time to count the bees that visit and a pad of paper to record your findings. Then visit the Backyard Bee Count website to record your data.

Before we were able to get bees, I participated in the Great Sunflower Project. For those of you who are anxious to start bee keeping but can’t for practical-life reasons, this project gives you a connection to bees even if it’s not with a veil and smoker. And I love that! If you have room for a garden pot and a sunflower, you can help bees!

Why the Lemon Queen Sunflower?

All sunflowers are beneficial to bees but the Lemon Queen is an especially good choice for those of you who want to help bees. The Lemon Queen Sunflower produces several flower heads off a single stem, which gives the bees more opportunities per plant. Lemon Queen does very well in container gardens. It can be planted in a pot and grown on a patio. So even if you have an apartment, you can grow Lemon Queen! It provides nectar and pollen as all sunflowers do, but Lemon Queen produces more pollen which is beneficial to larvae who feed on the yellow stuff.

2. Order your Sunflower seeds and participate in the giveaway below. Look up when you can start your flowers indoors in your area so they get a head start this spring. (Planting indoors always help me get through the last stretches of winter.)

3. Start researching bee species in your area. Learn to discern them from wasp species. Pick up a field guide or download and study the Backyard Bee Count free Bee Identification Cards. It’s not required for the backyard bee count to know your bee species, but it’s a fun and educational activity.

There’s lots we can do to spread awareness about bees. To motivate you, I’ve set up a giveaway that will hopefully promote sharing and learning. To enter, share this post on your Facebook Page and leave a comment below that says “shared”. You’ll be entered to win this Sunflower Print in watercolor pencils by me Jennifer Sartell of Iron Oak Farm and a packet of Lemon Queen Sunflower Seeds! The winner will be announced on the Keeping Backyard Bees Facebook Page on February 21st so be sure to check for your name. If the prize isn’t claimed by February 25th, a new winner will be selected.

Shared, shared and shared!!! I’ve been wanting to get active in saving the bees for some time…I’m so excited about this project….I would love to learn more about beekeeping also!!! ~Dez~A~Ray~of~Sunshine~

Good morning, Tony and I are new to Bee keeping! I Leilani was wondering about drying our poly pore mushrooms and using them to smoke the bee’s any thought on the safety of this or the possibility of it being harmful to the BEE’s. Thank you for your time. We enjoying reading your information in the morning over coffee.

I have many kinds of Sunflowers in 3 different Garden Plots. @ in RI, & 1 In MA. I have seen countless bees at all of them, as they are all Organic Community Gardens & are Full to capacity! I am unsure as to where to go to do the bee counting-could you direct me please?

Another plant that is popular with pollinators is the sunchoke / Jerusalem Artichoke. It is best planted in a container because it can be invasive (that’s really good for the bees), but the tubers are like small potatoes and contain a chemical called inulin which makes them a great choice for diabetics. One plant in one seasin can produce up to 25 lbs of tubers. The flowers are like small sunflowers and there can be a dozen or more. I plant them because of my bees, I harvest the stems with leaves before the first frost to feed my goats, the chickens eat the flowers and seeds, and the tubers are edible for me, and ALL of my animals (chickens love them, especially when chopped up). The tubers can stay in the ground until you need to dig them. Best of all, they are a native of the eastern US.

I am the owner of a greenhouse- Plant-It Earth Greenhouse, that grows all plants without the use of chemicals. First because I care about the environment and because I am a beekeeper! This is an exciting project that I will be participating in.

All info here on the Great Sunflower Project dates back to 2015. Cannot find any current 2016 or 2017 info. Is it still an active project? Updated info would be more encouraging & helpful.
Thank you.
Beekeeper, Gardener, Chicken Crazy, Rescued Great Pyrenees Lover. DT

You can have bees and chickens at the same time !!! Who knew ? These Sunflowers are beneficial to both, but don’t need to be grown in the ground, they can be grown in pots ! Even for apartment dwellers, like me !

I have initiated a bee program at the middle school I teach at. I would love to add some Lemon Queen Sunflowers out where the hives are at to provide another food source for our bees. Thank you for your consideration.

Get the news letter! But didn’t know this about the sunflowers, how interesting! We have several hives of bees and I will be planting this sunflower soon. Love the idea of starting my outdoor garden early indoors and it does get me through the winter blues.